A beautiful tale of the Comanche people (native Indians), adapted into storybook format for kids. The main character is a young, orphaned girl named She-Who-Is-Alone. She owns nothing but a ragged doll. Rains have not poured for a long time. Drought has set in. The villagers ask the Shaman to commune with the Great Divine for guidance — what must they do to regain harmony with nature? The shaman learns that people must do a "great sacrifice" — each villager must part with their most valuable possession. She-Who-Is-Alone throws her doll into the fire. The next day, the valley is abloom with bluebonnets (Texas official flower)!

Why do I find this story so fascinating? I find parallels between this story and Eastern teachings. The name of the little girl is 'She-Who-Is-Alone' — it reminds me that we are all alone from birth to death. She-Who-Is-Alone throws her most valuable possession into fire — this symbolizes the annihilation of our 'I' (ego). Through the act of letting go of her most valuable possession, the valley bloomed with bluebonnet flowers — this reminds me that through annihilation of our ego, we are in union with the Universe, a state of mind characterized by positive emotions like peace and joy!

An adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's short story with the same title. A beautiful story: "Once a king sought answers to three questions: (1) When is the best time to do each thing? (2) Who are the most important people to work with? (3) What is the most important thing to do at all time?" The story is cut-n-paste here. An audio recording on Youtube: here.

A beautiful story of a young girl who desires to see the Seven Wonders of the World after reading about them in a book. Over time, she realizes that wonderful events are happening all around her all the time! So there is no need to go anywhere else; the magic and mystery of the Universe engulfs us all the time :)